A newly discovered geologic fault has quashed plans for a new gymnasium at Foothills Middle School that would have been shared with the City. The City and school district will now focus on building a gym at Dana Middle School.
The Arcadia Board of Education will study the environmental impact of new uses and the addition of lights at Dana and First Avenue Middle schools and the Arcadia High School softball field.
Arcadia gets top marks in county API scores. Arcadia Unified School District has three of the top four highest scoring middle schools on the Academic Performance Index. Foothills Middle School ranked first, tied with Huntington Middle School in San Marino. First Avenue Middle School and Dana Middle School also ranked in the top four in Los Angeles County.
Dana Middle School students released a weather balloon 80,000 feet into the air. It was made of latex and equipped with a tracking device that sent updates every 16 seconds to science teacher Mike Mora's laptop computer. The balloon reached its final resting place near California City, north of Edwards Air Force Base, about 150 miles from its launch point.
Dana Middle School's iconic concrete monument topped by an iron anchor was destroyed and removed this summer to prepare for renovations of the school's courtyard. Former students were upset over the loss, as it represented school pride. Joann Steinmeier, School Board President, said the anchor itself has been preserved and will be showcased in a fenced area in a new, smaller courtyard.
The Arcadia Board of Education will lease 200 square feet of property at Dana Middle School to AT&T to install a cellular phone tower. The lease will be for 5 years with a minimum bid of $18,000 per year.
A 13-year-old female was critically injured after a motorist lost control of a vehicle and struck her in front of Dana Middle School. A surgical team decided to amputate the lower portion of her right leg 5 inches below knee.
The Foothill Middle School "Project Adventure" program has received the highly respected Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association. The award program recognizes innovative programs throughout the state.
Arcadia Unified 'lip-dubs spirit of its middle schools. Some 2,200 Arcadia Unified School District middle school students and adults are featured in a four minute YouTube video featuring Jason Derulo's "Undefeated," to show their school spirit and pride. A lip-dub video is music played over a lip-sync video, filmed in one continuous shot.
Arcadia Unified School District revives middle school athletics. In 1995, the middle school sports program was dismantled when the district transitioned junior high to the middle school model (6th-8th grades), then the focus veered heavily toward academics. On December 3, 2015, First Avenue Middle School faced off with Dana Middle School for the first time in two decades.
Tjio-Hervey, 26, teacher of life science and physical science at Foothills Middle School and Diaz, an attorney, will be honored as Outstanding Young Californians by the California Jaycees tonight.